This is the first time I can say that a Sights and Soul trip did not exceed my expectations. Although there were many good times, the schedule was not very appealing. We spent so much time driving or otherwise commuting to the activities that it took away from the experience. This was particularly true of our time in Tromso. The dog sledding excursion was the best part of the trip and one day of spending so much time on a bus was ok - especially after being bussed to see the Northern Lights the night before. But then we followed it up by going to see the reindeer. That day was not worth the length of travel that it took to get there. We rode around on a little sled sort like a children's pony ride. My half of the group had a Sami guide who was surly and not interested in being with us. The windy weather the following day changed plans so we had a visit to an aquarium in Tromso. I found that fascinating and think it should be considered for future trips. Also, I enjoyed the time in Oslo. The day trip to Trondheim was great but again, with the plane ride and accompanying waiting time, it was a lot of sitting around, especially the day after Norway in Nutshell. When I took my first trip with S&S, I was very impressed with the attention to detail from the prompt response to emails to the purple book. On that trip and the ones that followed, the accommodations and meals were outstanding. We had day guides who were informative and clearly enjoyed being with our group. I just did not get that same feeling with this trip. There were two times when the restaurant expected us at a different time. The return trip to the airport was for six people but someone forgot that we needed room for luggage. All of these little things added up. Finally, I will say that the difference between a seasoned guide and a newby was noticeable. Branka is delightful and fun to be with. It would have been helpful to have a nightly communication about the next day's activities with the meeting time like Marlene and Inga provide. I am usually effusive with praise for S&S and the quality of the trips so it has taken me a lot of thought to send these remarks. It is meant to be an accurate critique of my experience and hopefully will lead to a better trip next time.

I was actually disappointed in this trip. It seemed to be generally poorly thought out. Oslo: We had a scheduled visit to the National museum on our first day. Museum would have been wonderful except we went through it with a guide who took us only to a few exhibits and we only had one hour in the museum. We had no time to visit on our own since our dinner reservation was at 5:30 PM. Day 2 in Oslo we were accompanied by the same guide who wasn’t particularly good. Promised free time didn’t happen since lunch was scheduled at 3 pm. A 2 course meal at 3 pm and no scheduled dinner doesn’t make sense.to me. Tromso: we were not a small group as expected. All tromso activities were on public tour buses and we were with other groups and limited to their schedule. The northern lights chase would have been better if we were in our own bus and could have changed locations for better viewing. We stayed in one location, not a chase. Dog sledding was great but again it was a very long day as the site was 90 minutes away and we returned to go on a nighttime dinner cruise that was not interesting and it was dark and the food was awful. Our final day in Tromso was 2 hours away to go reindeer sledding which was dreadful, we were pulled around in a small circle by a Sami woman. The day involved hours standing around waiting for the return bus. The day of departure we were scheduled to go on a cable car ride that was closed so we went with a guide to an aquarium as a way of killing time. It would have been great if there were other options. Bergen: Again, we had a walking tour of the city in icy rain, a 3 pm 3 course lunch, and Norway in a nutshell which involved 5 hours on trains, 2 hours on a cruise, and one hour on a bus with lots of time waiting in train stations between rides. We did not get breakfast that day because our bus left before breakfast opened and bag lunches were ham and cheese sandwiches with no other options. There was no dinner that night as we got back at 9:30 pm; several women went to McDonalds. Several of us chose to forego the final day trip to Trondheim as we were exhausted and taking two flights the day before we left was poor planning. Due to the length of that trip the farewell dinner was at 8:30 pm which was too late for most of us and a few women chose not to come. The hotels in Oslo and Tromso were adequate but not great. The hotels in Bergen was dark and run down. Not even close to a 4 star hotel. The restaurant choices were mostly Italian; I was not planning on only eating pizza and pasta in Norway. As I said before, lunch and dinner timing was terrible. Our sights and soul tour guide Branka was delightful. She was warm and engaging and did a wonderful job despite some of the issues I mentioned. I came on the trip because the description sounded wonderful. This tour in no way lived up to that description.

What an amazing trip. Inga was fabulous as a tour director, met a great group of women from the US and Canada (I was the token Aussie) and got to experience everything you would want to in Norway - Northern Lights, dog sledding and cruising through the breathtaking fjords were my highlights.

Trip to Norway with Sights and Soul Travel was Amazing. Loved seeing all the sights of Norway. Everything was very organized and well planned. Tour Leader, Inga was so helpful and a joy to be around. Will definitely travel again with Sights and Soul and hopefully land on another tour with Inga in the future.

I recently traveled to Norway on the winter tour with Sights and Soul Travels. Our guide, Inga, was very helpful and kept us on track through many excursions and all of th interior travel. We were very fortunate with the weather and were treated to a stunning display of the Northern Lights in Tromso. My favorite activity was driving a dogsled with four huskies pulling us through the beautiful mountain valley. I've been on multiple tours with this company and each time I've been impressed with the organization and the many unique activities offered. And finally, it was such a pleasure to meet and make friends with other women who are interested in international travel.